Without the Beauty of Us

Chapter 6: The Delegation

After what happened with his mother Kel was hardly in his usual good mood when working in the Trove that night. He didn't make jokes as he passed patrons, he didn't shake the hands of Zallo's friends, he didn't introduce himself to people, coax stories from strangers or sing along to the fiddle player's songs.

He was glad that Daelin didn't come in because he didn't want to be rude or cold to him, neither did he want to feel obligated to make fake smiles or tell stories he just generally wasn't in the mood for.

He was equally glad that Isen and Hark didn't come in because with his growing tension and nervousness in anticipation of meeting Ekran tonight, his temper became shorter and his irritation grew.

Aayla still came in, as she said she would, Tay in tow.

She smiled more shyly than she usually did and Kel returned it, surprising even himself.

He didn't make much conversation other than an "How are you?" and a "No Daelin?" as he took their order. And while Tay tried persuading him to telling she and Aayla some stories, he politely refused saying that he was too busy. And when Tay tried pushing further, insisting now that Nina was back he couldn't be that busy, Aayla had stopped her and Kel had gone off to serve someone else, hearing hushed whispers behind him.

It didn't bother him too much. People knowing about his mother's sickness wouldn't really inhibit his day-to-day save for maybe a bout of infuriating pity here and there.

The night still went by relatively fast besides all of that though. Aayla and Tay left before midnight and while Aayla had no way of knowing what Kel was planning to do, she still came and told him to be careful placing her hand on his arm as she did so.

The experience left Kel both flushed and confused.

Kel and Zallo made their way to the city. A chilly wind blew across the village's main road, Kel closed most of the clasps on his jacket in response. All things considered, he loved that jacket and relished in having it back again.

"Nina know where we're going tonight?" he asked after they overtook a stumbling drunk on his way home from the Trove.

"Not specifically, no. She doesn't have a particular affection for Rohn, ya see."

"She hates his guts?" Kel smiled.

"Aye, pretty much. Thinks he's a 'bad influence'. Gods, you'd think she was my ma instead of my niece."

Kel smiled again.

"But she knows that we're not really doing anything legal, gave me an earful about 'dragging' you into as well."

Kel laughed. "Please, pretty much had to beg you to 'drag' me into it."

"Tell her that. I tried."

It being well after midnight there wasn't much foot traffic, that and the fact that Zallo seemed to know an infinite amount of shortcuts it didn't take them long to get to Ekran's hideout.

It was a fairly nondescript building, comprised of wood with a tiled roof, it was three houses wide, three storeys high and Kel couldn't tell how long. He and Zallo didn't enter through the giant double doors in the front, most likely made that way to be easily accessible to a variety of wagons and the like, no, the pair went into the side alley where a wooden stairwell led to the second floor.

Zallo knocked on the door once, then twice in quick succession, then once. It opened after a few moments and the dwarf and the gypsy were met with the grizzled face of the criminal.

"Really, Zallo?" he said in his gruff voice that Kel could only think to describe as sandpaper across his face. "A secret knock? We're not some poncy royal spy service."